Spherical void expansion in rubber-like materials: The stabilizing effects of viscosity and inertia

• Published in: International journal of non-linear mechanics 2017-06, Vol.92, p.118-126
• Main Authors: Faye, Anshul, Rodríguez-Martínez, J.A., Volokh, K.Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cavitation; Cavitation number; Computer simulation; Constitutive models; Dynamic cavitation; Dynamic failure; Failure mechanisms; Finite element method; Inertia; Internal pressure; Mathematical models; Mechanical properties; Rubber; Rubber-like materials; Strain rate; Viscoelasticity; Viscosity
• ISSN: 0020-7462; 1878-5638
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2017.04.005

Dynamic cavitation is known to be a typical failure mechanism in rubber-like solids. While the mechanical behaviour of these materials is generally rate-dependent, the number of theoretical and numerical works addressing the problem of cavitation using nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive models is scarce. It has been only in recent years when some authors have suggested that cavitation in rubber-like materials is a dynamic fracture process strongly affected by the rate-dependent behaviour of the material because of the large strains and strain rates that develop near the cavity. In the present work we further investigate previous idea and perform finite element simulations to model the dynamic expansion of a spherical cavity embedded into a rubber-like ball and subjected to internal pressure. To describe the mechanical behaviour of the rubber-like material we have used an experimentally calibrated constitutive model which includes rate-dependent effects and material failure. The numerical results demonstrate that inertia and viscosity play a fundamental role in the cavitation process since they stabilize the material behaviour and thus delay failure. •Viscous and inertia effects helps stabilizing the material behaviour and delay failure.•Viscous effects are important as long as the cavity pressure does not exceed the upper bound of the ratedependent material response.•Inertia effects become meaningful after the cavity pressure exceeds the upper bound of the rate-dependent material response.